Reading & Resources
School Administrator, October 2017


Book Reviews
 
The Board and Superintendent Handbook: Current Issues and Resources
edited by Amy E. Van Deuren, Thomas F. Evert and Bette A. Lang, Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, Md., 2015, 142 pp., $26 softcover

In The Board and Superintendent Handbook, the editors explore various topics related to board members and superintendents. Two of the three editors have served as superintendents in Wisconsin and one serves as a principal there. The editors used their experiences of school systems, as well as research from the UCLA National Center for Mental Health.

Topics covered are the curriculum process, student support systems, alternative comprehension models, the importance of teachers, technology in the schools, administrative assistants, external experts, state and national associations, and resources.

I was disappointed by what I read. Looking at the book’s title, one would think the book would contain guidance and suggestions for superintendents in handling individual board members and golden nuggets on how to conduct school board meetings. Most superintendents know about curriculum and instruction. Most lose board support due to changes on the board or lack of communication skills with members.

This work is more suited to aspiring administrators who need better background in districtwide governance and leadership measures, such as designing support systems for response to intervention and implementing curriculum.  

The book also emphasized the importance of board members understanding curriculum issues. I believe it is more important for a board to be able to interpret or understand data and to set goals for the superintendent based on strategic planning.  

While I agree administrative assistants are valuable resources, that chapter seemed to be out of alignment with the rest of the book. The chapter shared several surveys regarding the allocation of time spent on various duties, but no advice was given on the recommended tasks and expectations of employees. 

The book would have been more valuable if a chapter had been devoted to the strategic planning process and goal setting by the superintendent and board. While the writers are knowledgeable, the book did not deliver what was anticipated. Experienced superintendents would receive little benefit from this book.
 
Reviewed by Paul A. Shaw, director of educator ethics, Georgia Professional Standards Commission, Atlanta, Ga. 


Global Education Reform: How Privatization and Public Investment Influence Education Outcomes 
edited by Frank Adamson, Bjorn Astrand and Linda Darling-Hammond, Routledge, New York, N.Y., 2016, 231 pp. with index, $36.95 softcover

Global Education Reform was written by and for individuals who are opposed to choice and the application of marketplace models to education. The writers cover selected countries and the positive and negative consequences of liberal or neoliberal reforms compared to increased accountability and business approaches.

Their case studies and, especially their conclusions, are generally objective.

The editors are eminent scholars — two from Stanford University and one, Bjorn Astrand, is dean for the School of Education at Karlstad University in Sweden. They are joined by other scholars who have written case studies of education reform over several decades in Chile, Cuba, Sweden, Finland, the United States and Canada. 

These reviews present the big picture of the impact of privatization versus public investment in each country, and why massive change endeavors were initiated and then later abandoned, often replaced with a counterbalancing set of modifications to educational policies.

Chile is often cited as an exemplar by advocates of University of Chicago economist Milton Friedman’s free market theories, which “championed privatization as a market-based ‘solution’ to the state ‘monopoly’ on education in the 1970s and 1980s.” The Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet met with Friedman in the 1970s and imposed his ideas throughout his country’s institutions, including education. This pattern has been cleverly branded as GERM — Global Education Reform Movement — by Pasi Sahlberg of Finland, reflecting his preference for the neoliberal approach utilized in his own country. Education in Chile has become unequal with teachers devalued.

Nearly the exact opposite has occurred in Finland, which has emerged as a world leader on the Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA.

Cuba does not participate in the PISA assessments and, thus, is often overlooked on international educational rankings. Cuba has few resources and families are most notably low income, even by Latin American standards. Yet, a chapter in this book explains that Cuban education is the envy of much of Latin America. The state takes responsibility for the quality of education with little private investment and almost no available choices.

The last chapter provides an excellent summary and balanced analysis of the issues. Recognition is given that in America and elsewhere, “competing impulses” have resulted in cycles between equity and democracy, and concentration of political power and perceived meritocracy. There is even a hint that choice and democracy can coexist. Nevertheless, these scholars side with the highest performing states in the U.S. or countries with the least privatization and district-run public schools.
 
Reviewed by Art Stellar, vice president, National Education Foundation, Hingham, Mass.
 

Hardball Leadership: How to Achieve Student Academic Success in a Rural School Leadership
by Mark E. Forner, Rowman & Littlefield Publishing Group, Lanham, Md., 2016, 252 pp., $60 hardcover, $30 softcover, $28 ebook

Hardball Leadership is a reference and first-hand account for superintendents and principals in rural districts and schools. Author Mark E. Forner, a principal in Custer, Mich., provides personal accounts from experiences in rural districts that not only describes “what” but also “why” specific circumstances exist. His expertise provides encouragement for rural school leaders to ensure all students have positive and productive educational experiences, despite the challenging environments.

The tone of the book is informal as it identifies the uniqueness and differences of small rural districts. Forner offers approaches to increasing student achievement, improving teacher effectiveness and promoting positive mindsets to ensure good student experiences.

Hardball Leadership contrasts small-district leadership to big-district leadership. The comparisons provide hope to those in small, rural systems that they will face same expectations for generating student learning gains and overall district success.

As a superintendent myself in a rural, small district, I can attest that Former’s book provides realistic descriptions of such districts, but it also provides motivation to counteract any negative circumstances. I found Hardball Leadership identifies the positive aspects of working in rural schools and reasons to be proud to be in a position to make decisions that will be in the best interest of the students we serve.
 
Reviewed by Xandra Brooks-Keys, superintendent, Coahoma County School District, Clarksdale, Miss.


Managing Oneself: The Key to Success
by Peter F. Drucker, Harvard Business Review Press, Boston, Mass., 2017, 105 pp. with index, $19.99 hardcover
 
I must admit that I read this book in the midst of moving, job hunting, and preparing for one child to graduate college and another to come home from freshman year of college. Solely based on the title and knowing nothing about the author, Peter F. Drucker, I expected the content to be relatable. Now, at the last page, this book did just that and it will for other readers, too.

In Managing Oneself, Drucker shares his experiences and insight into the world of the business executive. The items he identifies, the descriptions and the examples, connect not only to business practices of the past, but also correspond to the current state of education. As a reader, I found myself making notes in the margins. Some of what Drucker shared connected to my own career ponderings and left me wondering, ‘what if?’ 

In this book, Drucker mentions eight simple rules effective leaders follow. Midway through, he talks about getting results. The description reminds me of S.M.A.R.T. goals. At another point, Drucker talks about job choices, touching on the work climate. That topic is getting more attention as people leave the education arena and colleges struggle to attract students into teacher education programs. 

This short book is not simplistic; it is realistic and practical without being full of jargon. 

I recommend it for those entering or continuing in the field of education. Learning about being a reader or a listener had me pause to reflect upon my preference and that of my previous bosses. The information contained in this small book may have a large impact when extrapolated to the world of teachers and administrators. 
 
Reviewed by Dr. Hope Blecher, curriculum coordinator, Teaneck, N.J. 
 

School Leadership Through the Seasons:  A Guide to Staying Focused and Getting Results All Year
by Ann T. Mausbach and Kimberly Morrison, Routledge, New York, N.Y., 2016, 211 pp., $33.98 hardcover

In School Leadership Through the Seasons, Ann Mausbach, an assistant professor of educational leadership at Creighton University, and Kimberly Morrison, a middle school principal in the Midwest, provide a framework for schools that are engaged in continual school improvement.

While many of the components, including a focus on mission and vision and professional development plans, may be well established in a district, the text includes district and principal “moves” that can lead to success. Moreover, such moves are organized by season — winter, spring, summer and fall — as central-office support and school principal efforts take different forms throughout the year.

The authors connect many practices found in schools today in ways that make school improvement efforts cohesive and well-supported by the central office. All too often, school district’s forays into instructional walkthroughs, data analysis, professional development, evaluation and communication in many schools and districts are perceived and carried out as disjointed activities.

Education leaders can apply the authors’ recommendations directly into practice or begin with an administrative team’s book study before implementing the practices each season.

The book’s appendices include templates for team agendas and school improvement plans as well as sample walkthrough feedback and leader communications and a guide for data analysis.
 
Reviewed by Judy Paolucci, superintendent, Smithfield, R.I.


Strategies for Developing and Supporting School Leaders: Stepping Stones to Great Leadership 
by Karen L. Sanzo, Routledge, New York, N.Y., 2016, 144 pp., $34.95 softcover

In Strategies for Developing and Supporting School Leaders, Karen L. Sanzo, an associate professor at Old Dominion University and director of the School Leadership Preparation and Development Network in Virginia, argues for an ecological framework for leadership development. Like a community of living organisms linked together through nutrient and energy cycles, principals and schools are linked together through interconnected relationships and networks.

Sanzo focuses on partnerships, recruiting and selecting aspiring leaders, and developing established, new and aspiring school leaders. 

The book provides a means of surveying current practices and needs to gain insight into leadership development in large districts or entire states. Mentoring and coaching are also discussed, as is the value of a cohort for aspiring leaders.

Although the need to support school leaders is equally important for districts of all sizes, leaders of smaller districts may find the tools and text unapproachable because partnerships for leadership support and initiatives for leadership development are not practical for districts with fewer than 20 school leaders. However, Sanzo provides examples from the field that bring her framework to life, such as large districts working alone as well as networks of districts working together to provide what no one small district could do by itself. 
 
Reviewed by Judy Paolucci, superintendent, Smithfield, R.I.
 

Turning Goals into Results: The Power of Catalytic Mechanisms
by Jim Collins, Harvard Business Review Press, Boston, Mass., 2017, 96 pp., $9.99 e-book

Many readers of School Administrator have a BHAG (a big, hairy, audacious goal) to focus their districts on an important improvement initiative. But most also have encountered the “knowing-doing” gap. As individuals or organizations, we know so much better than we do.

What does it take to mobilize a school district away from the status quo?

As a part of its reprint series, the Harvard Business Review re-issued a 1999 publication by Good to Great author Jim Collins, now a management laboratory director. In this small, pocket-size monograph, Collins discusses the concept of catalytic mechanisms, a galvanizing, nonbureaucratic means to turn lofty aspirations into concrete realities.

Catalytic mechanisms are the opposite of complicated incentive programs, formalized rules, checklists and approval processes, and layer after layer of stultifying bureaucracy. Instead, they are relatively easy to create and implement. They almost always encourage risk taking. They involve a redistribution of power downward in the organization for the benefit of the overall system. They carry a sharp set of “teeth” to be sure that they actually happen and, according to Collins, produce exceptional results in unpredictable ways.

One drawback in reading this reprint is that the concept, examples and supporting research from Collins’ almost 20-year-old classic article have not been updated or refined to reflect recent or emerging insights.

This tool may be for you if you are ready to deal with the discomfort of staff members who have traditionally held power in the district. All you have to gain is being true to that big, hairy, audacious goal.   

Reviewed by Ronald S. Thomas, director, Center for Leadership in Education at Towson University, Baltimore, Md. 
 

The Unlearning Leader: Leading for Tomorrow’s Schools Today
by Michael Lubelfeld and Nick Polyak, AASA and Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, Md., 2017, 97 pp., $25 softcover

The popular moderators of the Twitter chat #suptchat have taken some of their social media musings to print. With a loyal following of district leaders around the country, this text is an ideal read for district and school leaders alike.

Their combined experiences as superintendents in the Midwest permeate the text, along with professional learning network contacts they befriended. The result is a highly practical text, centered around the idea of “unlearning.”

“Unlearning ‘That’s the Way We Have Always Done It’” is a chapter title that will ring true for many education leaders. The innovations in the school systems in suburban Chicago led by Michael Lubelfeld and Nick Polyak form the basis of the text, peppered with correlating research.

At a realistic 97 pages, The Unlearning Leader is a just-right read for individual school leaders, a principal’s professional learning community and aspiring leaders in preparation programs. 
 
Reviewed by Thomas Van Soelen, president, Van Soelen & Associates, Lawrenceville, Ga.
 


ABSTRACTS

Evaluating Superintendents

Personal observation is the most important source of information used by board members when evaluating a superintendent, according to a University of Washington doctoral dissertation by Philip H. Gore.

The findings from the mixed methods study that used observations, surveys and interviews indicate superintendents’ interactions with others and communication with board members, staff and community are constantly under scrutiny.

The study suggests a relationship exists between a board members’ length of service and the likelihood they will support recommendations from the superintendent, feel they have a responsibility to the superintendent and consider the superintendent a source of information during the evaluation. Student achievement data also factors in more with more tenured board members.

Copies of “Factors and Sources of Information School Boards Consider When Evaluating a Superintendent” are available from ProQuest at 800-521-0600 or disspub@proquest.com.


Communication Technology

How does the use of electronic communication technology impact a superintendent’s efficacy and a school’s culture?

In an Ed.D. dissertation at St. John’s University in New York City, Cecilia Brock investigated how superintendents integrated electronic communication technology into their leadership and behavior practices. Superintendents found substantial meaning in the presented technology and determined the technology’s usefulness as it pertained to their own effectiveness, her study reporting.

Brock also looked into how a school’s culture is influenced by the example its chief executive officer sets through the use of this type of technology.

Copies of “School Superintendents’ Use of Electronic Communication Technology and Its Impact on Their Efficacy as a School District Leader” are accessible from ProQuest at 800-521-0600 or disspub@proquest.com.


 
Why I Wrote this Book ...



“When discussing goals for the day, a principal, being exceedingly honest, admitted to me, ‘I spend at least 80 hours per year evaluating teachers — How do I make sure that it is meaningful for both the teacher and for the school because right now I am pretty sure it is not?’ In that one short instance, I realized exactly why I was doing the work centered around evaluation that I had been for several years. Evaluation had become a cumbersome, stressful and time-consuming process while losing its apparent meaning.”

P.J. Caposey, superintendent, Meridian Community Unit School District, Stillman Valley, Ill., and AASA member since 2014, on writing Making Evaluation Meaningful: Transforming the Conversation to Transform Schools (Corwin, 2017)
 




BITS & PIECES

Peer Review
CoSN is offering peer review services for school districts to advance their technology goals.

The three-day review by experienced education technology leaders will assess operations and report on how each district aligns to the best practices of their peers.

Apply at http://cosn.org/PeerReview.


Career Videos
A free, online learning destination for teachers and students has added career and personal finance videos for job seekers and new college grads.

Find the videos, produced by the Khan Academy, at https://bit.ly/khan-career-videos.


Tiered Intervention
Aimed at preventing students from falling behind in class, MDRC has released a research brief with practical tips to implementing a tiered Response to Intervention system.

Find more at http://bit.ly/MDRC-tiered-intervention.

School Lunches
Student test scores are higher on average when schools offer healthy lunch menus, according to a study by the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Download the report.
 

I Love Public Education
AASA has launched its I Love Public Education campaign, an ongoing effort to highlight the success of public education and demonstrate how public schools develop future generations of successful students.

Join the conversation on Twitter by using the #LovePublicEducation hashtag. The campaign website includes details on how anyone advocating for public education can get involved.


Equity Resources
AASA has launched a webpage compiling AASA programs, policies and other resources related to equity as well as equity resources produced by researchers and practitioners.

The site will be updated with articles, white papers, publications, webinars, conference presentations, videos and audio clips.